What are the chances of clear skies for the total solar eclipse?

By now you've heard the buzz about the total solar eclipse happening on April 8. Though people are rush‐ ing to purchase eclipse glasses to witness the spec‐ tacle, one of the biggest questions remains: Will we have clear skies?

Unfortunately, April skies in Canada - and particularly those areas along the path of totality - tend to experience frequent cloud cover. But that doesn't mean one should lose hope.

"April is not the best month for observing astro‐ nomical phenomena in Cana‐ da," said David Phillips, se‐ nior climatologist with Envi‐ ronment and Climate Change Canada. "Further, the jet stream is changing positions from winter to summer pat‐ terns. As a result, it is a time for more cloud cover and travelling weather systems passing through."

The path of totality where observers will see the moon entirely cover the sun, at about 3 p.m. local time will arc from southwestern Ontario, and along the St. Lawrence River toward Fred‐ ericton and St. John's.

Phillips provided CBC News with 30-year averages for cloud cover for southeast‐ ern Canada in April at that time of day.

While not all of these places will experience total‐ ity, the data provides some insight.

But those are just aver‐ ages.

Last year, on April 8, for instance, "it was open skies just about the entire length of the track across Canada," said Jay Anderson, an eclipse chaser and a former meteo‐ rologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

"Everybody in Canada, with the exception of a few small areas would have seen this thing."

Still, even if there are clouds, it's unlikely to be completely overcast.

Anderson says he looked at the last 23 years of satel‐ lite imagery for Ontario, Que‐ bec and the Atlantic provinces, and says there's almost always an opening somewhere.

In fact, there's one place that he says has higher odds of being clear.

"If you want to maximize your probabilities, you go to Tignish in Prince Edward Is‐ land," he said. "It's got quite a dip, about 10 per cent less cloud than just about any‐ body else in Canada."

To travel or not to trav‐ el?

Some people along the path of totality may plan on stay‐ ing put and taking their chances, while others might plan on being mobile.

For the latter, it's impor‐ tant to look at local forecasts closer to the day of the eclipse itself.

"I would say if you're real‐ ly serious about this … mark how far you're willing to go and then, by three days out, you can get some pretty reli‐ able forecasts," Anderson said. "They're not cast in in stone or anything, but they're reliable enough that if there are big areas of clearing and several forecasts agree with that, then you can go for those places."

WATCH | Total solar eclipse in Manitoba, 1979:

He recommends looking at various weather forecasts rather than relying on a single one.

And, if you're planning on travelling, it's important to be aware that a lot of other peo‐ ple may have similar plans, so roads may be clogged with traffic.

But even if you're plan‐ ning on staying home and it is cloudy, an eclipse is still something to experience, An‐ derson says.

"It's a phenomenon that's worth watching no matter what the actual weather is. Under clouds, you see this wall of darkness coming to‐ ward you, and then turn around and watch it leaving. And there will be an impact on animals and birds around you because it's going to get pretty dark, especially if you're close to the centre of that big shadow where the light coming in from the edges has a long way to go."

One New Brunswick town is planning on increasing the odds of catching totality and sharing the experience.

The Balloon Solar Eclipse Project will launch a balloonborne solar telescope from Florenceville-Bristol - provid‐ ing a live TV feed to nearby communities and also broad‐ casting on YouTube. More in‐ formation will be provided closer to the day of the eclipse.